News

All
  • All
  • Business Development
  • Community Chronicles
  • Housing Development
  • Info
  • News
  • Newsletter Articles
  • Partners
  • Stories from Your Neighbors
  • Success Stories
  • Transportation/Logistics Development
  • Value-Added Agriculture
West Central Steel’s growth continues: Latest expansion to house parts production

WILLMAR—West Central Steel of Willmar is expanding for the ninth time in its nearly 40-year history, bringing more services to its customers and more jobs to the region. “It has been quite a project,” said Jeff Pattison, president of West Central Steel. The latest project has been in planning for several years, but officially kicked […]

Class project offers job experience: CCS fifth-graders learn future lessons working at Pizza Ranch

WILLMAR—The Pizza Ranch dining room buzzed with activity Wednesday as a small crowd of new workers learned about their new jobs. It didn’t take long before the excited members of Community Christian School’s fifth-grade class had settled down to work. As part of a class project at the Willmar school, the students had written their […]

Kandiyohi County Board approves local option sales tax

WILLMAR—After months of study, discussion and input from the public, the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to proceed with a local option sales tax to fund designated transportation projects. The tax will generate an estimated $2.7 million a year that will be used to pay for four projects totaling $13 million over […]

First Street TIF district approved by Willmar City Council

WILLMAR—The Willmar City Council on Monday night approved a new redevelopment tax increment financing district along First Street South that will assist a developer in completing a retail construction project on vacant land on one of Willmar’s main thoroughfares. This was after lengthy discussion at several meetings, along with tabling the decision at the Oct. […]

New angel fund ready to invest in west central Minnesota

WILLMAR—After being in the works for several years, a local angel fund now has nearly $1.4 million ready to invest in private companies that have the potential for profitable growth. Based in Willmar, the West Central Angel Fund I LLC officially began accepting applications this fall from “early to middle stage” private business ventures that […]

IMPACT of Agriculture in Kandiyohi County 2017

The EDC thanks the West Central Tribune for bringing today’s face of agriculture and its impact on our region to the public in the 2017 IMPACT magazine.  Understanding the importance of agriculture and its contributions to our economy and quality of life is emphasized in this thorough publication.  The interviews include those of family farmers, […]

LTD Broadband brings service to Kandiyohi County

WILLMAR—Kandiyohi County residents in search of rural broadband service have a new option: wireless. LTD Broadband spent the summer months building broadcast tower sites across the county and is now offering high-speed internet to rural homes and businesses. So far, 31 towers have been built, with seven more scheduled for completion this fall. When completed, […]

Community Integration Center opens in downtown Willmar

WILLMAR—A group of immigrants from east Africa has formed a nonprofit organization to help members of the Willmar community learn more about each other. The Community Integration Center, located at 201 Fifth St. S.W. in downtown Willmar, is open to everyone, seven days a week. The center will act as a welcome center for people […]

Delta Dental awards grant to Rice dental clinic

WILLMAR—Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation has awarded a $120,000 grant to the Rice Health Foundation to add an advanced dental therapist to the staff of Rice Regional Dental Clinic. The new staff position will expand access to oral health care for an estimated additional 3,000 patient visits annually. The Rice Regional Dental Clinic provides dental […]

15th Street Flats clears major hurdle

WILLMAR—The potential workforce housing development planned for Willmar, called 15th Street Flats, has conquered a major hurdle this week, as the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency approved approximately $8 million in tax credits and $1,259,000 in Minnesota Housing investment. “I am really happy. This is significant,” said Aaron Backman, executive director of the Kandiyohi County and […]

Golf season to construction season: Groundbreaking slated next week for Little Crow Country Club project

NEW LONDON—When the golfing season ends next week at the Little Crow Country Club, the construction season will begin. A $7.8 million project will change the face of the popular New London area golf course and put it at a new level in the recreation and hospitality realm. Groundbreaking for the project—which includes a 51-room […]

Highway 23 Coalition makes pitch to transportation commissioner

SPICER—On a bus ride from Paynesville to Spicer, Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Charles Zelle saw trucks hauling wind turbine blades south on Highway 23. Zelle jokingly asked members of the Highway 23 Coalition Friday if they had arranged for those trucks so he could see the need for a four-lane state Highway 23 from Willmar to […]

Scroll to Top